Sureshot Heart
by RedTailedSongbird
Summary: Postseries: Hilda's sister is searching for revenge and finds Gene the bounty on Gene's head further complicates things. Let's not mention that Melfina is actually more integral than previously assumed. GM, JA, GOC, GHilda Rating may change
1. Bars and Bounties

_Author's notes: Firstly, this is my third and (hopefully) final draft of this fanfic. I've been absent from for quite some time and I've been anxious to get back. Many of my other fics have been reposted or redone as well. (Except "Disturbed" which may undergo a title change or simply stay discontinued)_

_Now, without further ado, let's begin!_

---

"Now, now ladies, there's plenty of me to go around," Gene stated to the three women surrounding him. He stole glances from the each of them, taking special care to give flirty looks to the blonde and brunette; the raven-haired beauty, he decided was the who was going to sit out on his little "sexcapade."

"But Gene..." the brunette began, biting her bottom list in protest.

"Plenty," he reassured.

The three giggled. "Wait here a sec," they chorused. They headed to the bathroom located in the back of the bar.

"Maybe I can turn my promised threesome into a foursome..." Gene thought aloud, furrowing his brow.

As the question came to his mind, two slender arms slid around his shoulders.

"I'm all of them, plus a bottle of liquor," a falsetto voice purred into his ear. Gene turned to stare at the girl behind him.

Her waist long, raven hair stood out starkly against her anemic skin, as did the strapless black mini-dress that she sported. The mini-dress stopped where her bottom ended, revealing a long and slender pair of legs that, Gene hoped, were capable of never quitting. She was fairly short, standing at a mere 5' 5" with her two inch, ebony stilletos, and her slim build, Gene happily noted, also consisted of a tiny waistline and breasts that were fairly large in proportion to the rest of her, though were offset by her wide hips. What most of Gene's attention was on, however, was her blood-red eyes. 'My favorite color,' he mused with a grin.

"What's your name?" he asked devilishly.

"Xenobia," she answered with a fanged grin. 'Wow, fangs could be fun...' Gene thought.

"Nice to meet you, Xenny. Now, why don't we leave before the others get back?"

"Agreed." She linked arms with him as they walked out the bar.

After entering the hotel and finding their room, Xenobia grew anxious.

"Hurry up, silly," she whined as she traced pictures upon Gene's back.

Gene pretended to fumble with the keys. "Sometimes the anticipation is just as good as the act itself." He threw open the door, yanked Xenobia inside, and slammed the door upon entry. He gave her a bruising kiss, which she returned with just as much vigor; he lifted her up from the floor, carrying her to the bed. He reclined her and began nibbling on her neck as she moaned. He was on top, naturally, but Xenobia saw to it that he wouldn't be for long. She flipped him forward so that she was on top and promptly handcuffed him to the bed.

"Kinky," he commented breathlessly.

"Idiot," she replied coldly.

She got off the bed and took out her cell phone. "Hey, Kevin; it's Xenny. Yeah, I'm calling to collect that bounty on Gene Starwind's head; that is half a mil, right? Anyways, I know I should take him down to the station, but I also know that they're desperate for his capture. You mind sending some transportation over for him?"

Gene's jaw dropped.

"Thank you, Kev! As always, you're the best! We're at the Campton, Room 213; see you soon!" She quickly shut the phone and turned to Gene, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you honestly think I would settle for a low-life like yourself? Haven't you ever heard of the infamous Sureshot Xenobia?" she asked blatantly. Gene blinked in shock. She picked her bag up from the floor and headed to the bathroom.

"When did that get here?"

"I brought it, you dolt."

"You're not gonna' let me go, are you?"

"Of course not. You're worth a half a mill… Dead** or **Alive. If you struggle, I will kill you." She changed with the bathroom door closed, much to Gene's dismay, and reappeared a moment later.

She donned a black collared, shorts styled bodysuit, fishnet stockings, and knee-high boots with several buckles and zippers. A red, leather belt held together by silver circular shaped bits of metal was strapped diagonally from her waist to the bottom of her left hip. Her ensemble was complete with mid-forearm, knuckle-cut leather gloves and an olive green duster. Her hair was now up into a neat ponytail, allowing her long thick bangs hang haphazardly to the front and sides of her face.

"You look vaguely familiar…"

She pulled out a caster, much like Gene's, other than the fact that it was silver, held it in her left hand, pointed it to the ground, and placed her right hand on her hip. "This pose look familiar?"

"You were on the news…"

"For the capture of Harry MacDougall," she finished.

"Shit."

"Exactly. Now then, be a good boy and keep silent until the Feds arrive. "

"Can't I at least have something to drink?"

"Fine, but no booze."

"Damn."

She handed him a glass of water, which he grabbed, with much difficulty, with his free hand. "How come you only handcuffed one of my hands?" he pondered.

"Because if you try to escape, you're mincemeat. I'm not one for full-on bondage."

Gene sighed.

She took out her Data Organizer, which vaguely resembled palm pilot. "Let's see, on my list for tonight, let's look at all of your little crew members. Jim Hawking, age 17, son of the infamous hacker, "The Computer Wizard," wanted for several minor thefts involving the hacking of the intergalactic bank systems: ten thousand."

She tapped the stylus to the screen a few more times. "Aisha Clan-Clan, age 24, member of the Ctarl-Ctarl empire, wanted for various fights and brawls in which the inner-strength of the Ctarl-Ctarl was fully unleashed: ten thousand."

After a few final taps, she grinned wickedly "Twilight Suzuka, age unknown, infamous assassin, wanted for several verified assassination: ten million."

She paused for a moment before continuing her mental note-taking. "Jim and Aisha are chump change, but if I can snag Suzuka, I'm as good as set. It seems like I can give myself a near Royal Flush: the King of Spades," she pointed to Gene. "The Queen of Spades, Suzuka, the Jack of Spades, Aisha, and the Ten of Spades, Jim."

"You mean you just pick off bounties like cards in a poker game?"

"Unless I harbor some form of grudge. Under completely normal circumstances, I wouldn't have dared to even bother with a trifle bounty such as yourself."

"What did I do to deserve your wrath, hit on you?"

"You killed my older sister."

He merely blinked.

"You killed Hilda. You killed my sister…"

---

_Sorry for the short chapter! What will happen next? You'll have to wait until next chapter to find out! _


	2. Pocket Change

_Author's note: I want to finish re-writing this particular fanfic by the end of September! Hopefully, I'll get to finishing most of it this week._

---

"According to the files I extracted from Horace, she was killed by a combination of Tao magic and a gunshot. As you were the last person she was seen with and you happen to have a caster, the logical conclusion would be that you, Gene Starwind, killed Hot Ice Hilda."

Gene, who was sitting up now, looked both crestfallen and confused. "But that doesn't give me a motive."

"There could be a million reasons, revenge being the most obvious one. For all I know, she could have turned you down at a bar and, due to this insane ego that you seem to have, that was your reason for murder."

"You didn't view all the files, did you?" he asked, remembering his time with Hilda and sighing all the while. There were fair few women Gene had loved in his lifetime, among them, however, was Hilda.

"They were destroyed; my sister liked to cover her tracks."

He looked at her weakly. "Do you see my bag over there?"

"Yeah."

"Open it."

"Why?"

"Just open it. There should be a disk labeled "Hot Ice" in there."

She opened his bag and took out the disk. "This thing?"

"Yeah. Do you have a Disk Reader with you?"

"Yeah." She pulled out her laptop, slid the disc into the slot, and began to watch the pictures of Hilda dance across the screen. Her voice was reciting her will.

Xenobia, detached and unbelieving, said simply, "You mean she anticipated this?"

"One of the pirates was holding her back with Tao magic. She pulled the trigger against that barrier and was killed."

Silence fell across the bounty hunter as she stared at the screen intently, fighting back tears and wishing all the while that she had just killed the difficult man now lying on the bed before her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Don't be."

Silence passed a bit more as Xenobia contemplated the loss of her sister.

"I'm still not freeing you. You're money in my pocket. Don't take it personally."

"Tch, I don't believe I can."

More silence.

"Ya' know," Gene said, attempting to lighten up the mood, "you're kinda' cute."

She snapped her head in his direction, bloody-murder clearly writ upon her face. "Don't waste your breath. You shan't like the consequences."

He gulped.

A knock came from the door.

"Miss Xenobia, we're here to retrieve the bounty you've captured."

"Come on in, Kevin."

Kevin, a young brown-headed man in his twenties, walked in. "Let's see…"

"A half a mill…"

"I know, I just have to check these bounties off, you know that."

"I know."

"You're on a roll, that's the sixth one this week and the second one tonight."

"It's a new record," she smiled genuinely.

"Well then, here's your check. I'm sure you'll have plenty more of those this week. Whose next on your list?"

"Twilight Suzuka, and then the one bounty who has always managed to slip between my fingers."

"Ah, Ronald MacDougall."

"But of course."

"I'll be off. Gotta' get back to the station in twenty minutes or I'll be dead. See ya'." He kissed her cheek chastely.

"Good-bye." Xenobia waved to him as he dragged Gene out of the room and down the stairs.

---

"Aisha! Have you seen Gene?" Jim called from his workplace on the couch.

"Nyah. He's still out."

Jim crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes shut in annoyance. "Doesn't he know that we have to be out of here at noon tomorrow? I hope he doesn't come back drunk."

"He won't be coming back at all," a woman's voice called from the doorway of Starwind and Hawking Enterprises.

Jim turned to look at the woman.

"You must be Jim. I'm Xenobia. If you could be so kind as to give me the whereabouts of Twilight Suzuka I'll be on my way."

"Who wants to know?" he asked warily.

"Why, the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy of course." She laughed arrogantly. "I'm Sureshot Xenobia and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. James "Jim" Hawking."

Jim raised an eyebrow.

"I'm debating on whether to take you in or not. You'd be some pocket change, as would your Ctarl-Ctarl friend over there."

Jim stood up, his height matching Xenobia's, as he was now 17. "Where's Gene?"

"Jail. His bounty was pretty low though, but on a higher note, if I turn you, Aisha, and Suzuka in on one night, I'll have beaten my bounty record."

"There's no bounty on me."

"Yes, there is. However, it's a trifling amount."

Jim raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Jim, let me take care of this one!" Aisha called from the kitchen.

As Aisha was about to bounce into the living room, Suzuka put up her sword, forcing her to stop her journey to the other room.

"I'll be the one to take her out," Suzuka replied.

Xenobia smirked. "This should be rather interesting."'


	3. Three Powers, Three Purposes

_Author's Note: Alright, here's the re-written third chapter. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter sometime this week. Also, if you haven't re-read the first two chapters, please do that, too!!!_

---

"There should be no bounty on my head."

"You're employer, who shall remain unnamed, was severely, for sake of a better word, pissed, that you hadn't killed Fred Lou; thus, he decided that ratting you out would be the perfect way to exact his anger. You're pretty famous, Miss Twilight Suzuka."

Suzuka's eyes narrowed.

"Well, shall we get this duel moving?" Xenobia asked as she waved her hand in the air. Suzuka lunged towards Xenobia.

Xenobia sidestepped and laughed as Suzuka swung her bokuto in vain.

"Now it's my turn!" Xenobia exclaimed. She swiftly turned around and shot Suzuka's bokuto with her pistol, knocking it out of her hand.

And then, as Suzuka was trying to reach for her weapon, Xenobia threw a handful of shurikens at her, pinning her kimono to the floor, rendering her immobile.

Xenobia stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "Pity, I thought that this battle would've been more fun than that."

Xenobia walked to the corner where Suzuka's bokuto had fallen and deftly picked it up. She flipped the sword over in her hands, examining it carefully. "Well, at least your weapon survived intact. Looks like I got a new toy to play with!"

Aisha took this opportunity to attack Xenobia, but was instantly shot back with a caster shell.

Xenobia brought her caster to her face and glanced at Jim. "And then there was one."

"Why are you after us?"

"Well, for Gene, it was a grudge capture, for you, it's because I'm already here to get Suzuka's bounty, why not get more money? After all, cash is cash."

Xenobia then felt the barrel of a pistol against her neck. Her smile quickly turned into her normal scowl.

"Leave us alone…" Melfina's voice whimpered behind her, the pistol shaking due to her trembling hands.

Xenobia snickered. "Well, well, you're Gene's girlfriend, huh?"

"Leave…" she whimpered again.

"Do you know where Gene was tonight? Do you know what he was doing? Well, I should say _who _he was doing…"

"Leave!" Melfina yelled. She pulled on the trigger slightly making Xenobia stiffen a bit.

"You do… don't you? You just won't admit it to yourself."

Silence followed as Melfina looked down the barrel of the gun.

"Have you ever fired a gun before?"

Melfina looked up.

"You haven't, have you?"

Silence.

"Gene never showed you how to fend for yourself because he promised that he would always be there to protect you. But he's not here now, is he?"

"Shut up!" Melfina screamed. She pulled the trigger.

But to no avail.

Xenobia appeared behind her. "There's no bounty on your head, you know. In fact, you could get yourself out of all this mess by just packing up and leaving. I won't even tell the authorities that there was an accomplice in this quote, unquote, obstruction of justice."

"I can't abandon them."

Jim was the one to seize the opportunity this time and lunged for Xenobia.

"Fool." She punched him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. She then quickly cuffed Aisha and Jim. Despite being bound so tightly that she couldn't move, Suzuka wiggled her arms in attempts to get free.

"You're a fighter. Haven't had to deal with one of you in a while." She smacked Suzuka upside the head, knocking her out, and put her in cuffs as well.

She then pulled out her cell phone.

"Hey Kevin? Just beat my record. I've got three bounties here: Starwind and Hawking Company. I can't very well fit the three of them in my car so can you... Yeah, I can wait," she answered.

"Well, are you gonna' leave or are you gonna' stay?"

Melfina looked at her as evilly as Melfina could manage, which looked more like a frowning plea of desperation.

"Well?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Like I said earlier, cash is cash."

"Don't you care about anyone else? They may be cash to you, but they're my family!"

That pushed Xenobia over the edge. "Family? My only family, my sister, was all I had; and Gene let her down. And now, I have to suffer because he didn't save my only family! So listen here, girlie, I may not know your name, I may not know who you are, but I sure as hell know that you're dating scum."

Melfina looked to the ground in defeat. "I'm a bio-android. I have no recollection of who I really am, what I really am, or where I truly came from. The only person I could remember was Hilda, and through both her own accord and the will of the Kei pirates, she met a miserable fate. If it wasn't for Gene, I'd be alone. I wouldn't live here, and I'd probably be a tool for the pirates' purposes." She looked to Xenobia, racking with sobs and tears gushing from her face. "What he's given me is all I have! So don't be one to commit the crime she suffers from the most!" she yelled in exasperation.

But Xenobia wasn't listening. She had dropped her gun upon hearing that name: Hilda.

"You... you knew my sister? You knew Hilda?" she asked in disbelief, dropping to her knees.

**------flashback-----**

"_Xenobia, while I'm gone this time, I need you to do me a favor…"_

"_Yes, sis?"_

"_I need you to research about Melfina and the XGP15A II."_

"_Okay. I can do that."_

"_And sis…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_If I don't come back from this one, I'm counting on you to find Melfina and that ship."_

"_But you always come back."_

"_Just in case. And when you find her, tell her everything you know."_

"_Okay."_

_Hilda leaned over and hugged her younger sister. "Take care, kiddo."_

"_I'm 19 already, will you stop calling me a kid?"_

"_You'll always be my kid sister."_

_Xenobia pouted as Hilda laughed._

"_See ya' later, kiddo."_

**-----end of flashback-----**

Xenobia went wide-eyed as the flashback finished playing in her head. Her hand grasped at her face as she tried vainly to recover from the emotional memory.

And then, as if she was seeing for the first time, she stole a glance at the bio-android in front of her."You... You're Melfina…"

Melfina nodded. "But I thought you already knew that…" Her voice was shaky; she seemed utterly lost at the stronger girl's sudden weakness.

"I knew that Gene came into possession of the XGP… but I didn't know that you were his girlfriend. I figured that you traveled with him, but…"

"Was Hilda you're sister?"

Xenobia nodded as she slowly rose to her feet, regaining her composure with each bated breath.

"Then you know all about me, don't you?"

A weak nod from Xenobia was the only reply.

"But, Gilliam said there remained no data on me, the ship, or the development of either..."

Xenobia sighed, feeling as though she might well get the closure she had been longing for for the past six years. "I didn't get the title of best damned bounty hunter in the universe just by working hard and hoping for hits; I'm an expert hacker, better than Hawking's dad. It's a part of me that the pirates hate, but as soon as I was able, I managed to secure as much information about you and the XGP..."

"Outlaw Star," Jim interjected.

"...Outlaw Star as I could."

Melfina looked at her blankly.

"You know, the XGP and the Leyline held only two of your three purposes."

"Three purposes?"

"The pirates created you for three things: to navigate the Outlaw Star, to find and unlock the Leyline, and to create an empire."

"Empire?"

"Well, the navigational system and most of the inner-schematics of the ship were thought of by the pirates, the military, of course, created it from the designs, and to this day, and outlaw is its captain. As you may or may not know, there are three powers in space: the pirates, the military, and the outlaws."

Xenobia took a breath, hoping that Melfina would catch on quickly. Time was of the essence.

"You, my bio-android friend, are the key to uniting all the powers of space."

"But, I..." Melfina started.

"You're kidding me! Melfina's the..." Jim started.

"Ruler of the Universe."

---

_CosplayJunkie: Melfina?! Melfina is Ruler of the Universe?! (-whispers- What possessed to make her Ruler?)_

_Xenny: Yeah! I couldn't believe it either!_

_Melfina: Why is it so hard to picture?_

_Aisha: You're too… what's the saying?_

_Jim: Quiet and Reserved?_

_Aisha: Yeah, that!_

_Suzuka: I must admit, it is hard to believe…_

_Gene: I'm dating the Ruler of the Universe?! Niiiiiice…_

_CosplayJunkie: Ahem, you** were **dating the Ruler of the Universe…_

_Gene: Why the past tense?!_

_Xenny: Just wait until next chapter! Cue the logo!_

_-Outlaw Star traditional TO BE CONTINUED is displayed-_

_CosplayJunkie: See ya' next chapter!_


	4. Ransom

_Author's Note: HOLY CRAP! A NEW CHAPTER! By the way, for those of you reading this, please re-read the first three chapters. They underwent some editing._

Melfina blinked. Ruler? Universe? The bounty hunter was surely mistaken.

"But I..."

"Melfina, as physically weak as you may consider yourself, and as timid, shy, or otherwise meek as you may appear to be, within that bio-chemically engineered brain of yours lie the secrets, histories, and abilities of ancient rulers. You've been granted the power of inherently ruling the universe."

Melfina fell to her knees. It was a bit much to bear, what with the sorrow of Gene's philandering, the capture of her only friends, and the blatant lack of care that Xenobia displayed in dealing with bounties.

"But..."

"Honestly, Melfina. I wouldn't make something of this caliber up. And quit being so hesitant and disbelieving of it, considering that somewhere in the back of your mind, you know what I claim is true."

Melfina furrowed her brow in thought. Images she once experienced upon her first dealings with the Outlaw Star appeared. She saw an elder raising his staff to the heavens, citizens below his pillar cheering in triumph. She saw a military commander, who bore remarkable resemblance to Valeria, lead a troop to victory over what appeared to be a small skirmish. A flash of various outlaw legends, a glimpse of Tao magic, and a sliver of ancient texts later, and Melfina realized: she knew it all.

As the history of the universe played through the bio-android's head, Xenobia stared on in interest. 'She's my ticket; if I can get her to unearth some of those ancient Tao secrets, I can...' but before her thoughts could be finished, a loud beeping came from her communicator.

"Xenobia's Bounty Service, if they're scalp's worth the fight, I've got them in my sight."

"Xenny baby... How kind of you to answer my call."

Xenobia gritted her teeth. "Ronald..."

He snickered. "You're always so pleased to receive my calls."

"Cut with the crap."

At this point, Jim, Aisha, Melfina, and the newly awakened Suzuka were staring at Xenobia intently.

"Ronald... MacDougall?" Jim asked hesitantly.

"Sweetie, I've got some information you've been looking for. Turns out, that little encryption you were babbling about is indeed the key to that Tao spell."

Xenobia's anger was skyrocketing. 'He's a fool.'

"Now then, why don't you explain something to me? How do you propose I use this spell, when you've conveniently "lost" the final part of the encryption?"

Xenobia smirked, her usual arrogance and self-centered demeanor taking over. "It's my insurance policy on your hide, MacDougall."

She clicked her communicator.

Glancing at the group, she could see the desperation in their eyes, annoyance in the case of Aisha and anger in the case of Suzuka.

She quickly undid their handcuffs. "If you want Gene back, meet me at the docking station in another hour. If you're not there, I'll be sure to collect on his death bounty."

Melfina looked at her, horror writ upon her face. "Gene! Where is he?!"

Xenobia smirked again, a fang pressing itself over her bottom lip. "He's in jail at the moment, but I'm very good at breaking and entering. I'll have my conditions for his return when I see you in an hour." With that said, she sped off.

The group, quite crestfallen and worried had no choice, they hopped in Jim's car and headed to the station.

As Xenobia ran through the alley, she double-checked to ensure she wasn't being followed. She ducked into a nearby doorway where she was face to face with none other than Gene Starwind.

"Nice to see they're treating you well," she laughed to him through the video monitor.

"Funny."

"You want out?"

His disinterest disappeared and he glanced at her warily. "What was that?"

"Do you want out?"

He gave her a look that indicated something along the lines of "No shit, Sherlock."

She laughed. "Keep digging, Watson," she replied in regards to his glare.

She carefully made her way to the hallway and began to pick at various locks, making her way through each door to delve further and further into the prison.

She reached Gene's door and without a second thought, hacked the card-key required lock.

"FREEDOM!" Gene yelled, bounding out the door.

His happiness short-lived, however, as an extremely painful shock to his spinal cord caused him to fall to the ground, twitching in pain.

"I didn't free you for your own good." With that, she yanked him by the wrist and dashed to the station.

Once they arrived, they proceeded to make their way to the Outlaw Star's holding station. Gene, quite out of breath from the run, was being led by Xenobia, who had ensured his willingness to travel with her by zapping him with her mini-taser every time any form of escape plan began to form in his head.

"What do you want from us?!" she heard Jim yell as she approached the hangar.

She smiled. "Well, if you'd be patient, I'd tell you what my conditions are."

Aisha took to screaming this time. "Don't ya' know who you're messing with!?"

"Indeed, I do. In fact, if not for my caster, Aisha, you could've easily taken me out; I'm no match for you in a battle of strength."

She turned to Suzuka. "And had I not known of your tactics before hand, Miss Suzuka, your capture and incapacitation would've proven much more difficult."

She then looked to them collectively.

"I will return Gene to you, unharmed and intact, on one condition."

They looked to her with skeptical eyes.

"You hand the Outlaw Star over to me."

_CosplayJunkie: I like cliffhangers... a lot..._

_Xenny: Obviously._

_CosplayJunkie: Anyways, I figured I'd take the time to address some reviews, though it's been years/months since some of these were written:_

_**breakaway-republic –** Yes, if I see another yaoi fic involving the obviously philandering Gene, I will personally gouge my eyes out with a pen knife. And where the Hilda sibling bit is concerned: Hilda was my second favorite female (first being Aisha) and she was always such a better match for Gene than Melfina! Hence, I wanted to make my protagonist like Hilda, without doing something crazy like reviving Hilda or giving her a clone._

_- I really wish reviewers could leave some names. Anyways, I updated!!!_

_**Saiyan Sparkle** – Glad you're enjoying it!_

_**Upset reviewer** – Yes, I did do some God Moding on Xenny a bit, but I'm trying to build her up for a later story element. Furthermore, a lot of what she relies on is wit, luck, or just damned cheap trickery._

_CosplayJunkie: I shall hopefully update it soon!!! crosses fingers_


End file.
